Lala Kent attended a BravoCon panel in New York City over the weekend, during which she admitted that the sudden death of her father, Kent Burningham, prompted her drinking to spiral out of control.
After confirming one-year of sobriety on Instagram in October, the Vanderpump Rules cast member told a sold-out crowd at the fan convention that her world was completely shattered by the loss of her dad.
“I went back to filming two and a half weeks later. I went to bed with a bottle next to me and woke up with a bottle of warm champagne to chug next to me. It was my medicine,” Kent admitted, according to a November 18 report from People magazine.
According to Kent, she didn’t fully process her father’s death, until after she got sober at the end of last year. Burningham died in April 2018 after he suffered a stroke following a car accident. Looking back, Kent said that she was able to accept that her father died in “the most beautiful way” after deciding that she simply couldn’t rely on alcohol forever.
While Kent admitted that it was difficult to get sober while filming the seventh season of Vanderpump Rules , she noted that the support she received from viewers along the way made it all worth it.
At the time of Burningham’s death, Kent confirmed the passing with her online audience on Instagram, telling her followers that her world “crumbled.” She also explained to fans that she never felt so lost and sad.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jwjpFFK82/
In June, Kent shared another emotional message on Instagram as she endured her second Father’s Day without her dad.
“Last year was the first Father’s Day I didn’t have my dad,” she captioned a photo of herself standing in front of a waterfall. “I sat and cried, watching this waterfall, trying to understand how this happened. How my life had changed forever, overnight. Today, I feel the same way.”
“To say my heart is broken is an understatement,” she added.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, rumors began swirling in regard to a potential relapse over the summer after 50 Cent claimed Kent was a drug user. However, after the rapper viciously slammed Kent on his Instagram page, Kent’s Vanderpump Rules co-star, Lisa Vanderpump, took to her Twitter page to set the record straight, telling fans and followers that Kent was sober, beautiful and completely in love with her fiancé, Randall Emmett.